American Spirit, Drive, and Motivation

The family of a Long Island homeless teen recently named one of the top science students in the nation will now have a home to call their own. Samantha Garvey, 17, is among 61 Long Island teens designated as semifinalists in the National Intel Science Search.

The Garvey family was evicted from their home in December after the teen's parents were injured in a car crash. Samantha, along with her mom, dad and two siblings, moved into a homeless shelter in Bay Shore two weeks ago. "My dad has always said, 'Pick your head up and keep on going,'" the Brentwood High School teen told NBC New York. "That's the mentality." Local government officials and members of the community have rallied to help the family, and during a Friday news conference, Suffolk County officials offered the family a rent-subsidized home. County Executive Steve Bellone said Garvey and her family could move into the house in about 10 days. Garvey said this was the second time the family had to move to a shelter. Being homeless "has always been a motivator for me," she said. That motivation has driven Garvey to become an honors student applying for admission to Brown University, among others, even as she struggled to find the cash to pay for her application. Advertise | AdChoices

"You can sit around and mope, but what's that going to get you?" Garvey said. The teen found relief in the 2½-year scientific study that culminated in her Intel entry. The study focused on the effects of predators on mussels, and the work took her to a Long Island salt marsh and a research lab at Stony Brook University — all as she faced obstacles at home. "Sam has the ability to focus amidst all of her troubles," said teacher Rebecca Grella. "Even in the darkness, she sees the light." "I tell all my customers about her," said dad Leo Garvey, now working as a cab driver. "We are so proud of her," said mom Olga Garvey, now working at a local hospital. Samantha Garvey aspires to be a marine biologist. She hopes for more good news later this month, when Intel names its finalists for the competition's top prize of $100,000.

MSNBC: Homeless whiz kid and her family will get a new home

44 Comments
 

U.S.A. U.S.A.

Beautiful, really. Guaranteed she gets serious $$ from a school, ¿no?

"When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is." - Oscar Wilde "Seriously, psychology is for those with two x chromosomes." - RagnarDanneskjold
 

What a crappy project. My submission involved using time series analysis to predict commodity prices and I didn't even get an honorable mention.

On another note,who knew Long Island had such amazing schools?

I am not cocky, I am confident, and when you tell me I am the best it is a compliment. -Styles P
 
eokpar02What a crappy project. My submission involved using time series analysis to predict commodity prices and I didn't even get an honorable mention.

On another note,who knew Long Island had such amazing schools?

Bookmarking this page. On my work computer. Dude, when the server is fixed, I'm dumping a pile of monkey poo on you.
Get busy living
 
UFOinsider Bookmarking this page. On my work computer. Dude, when the server is fixed, I'm dumping a pile of monkey poo on you.

Dude, I am serious. I entered both the Siemens and Intel STS with a far superior project and didn't even get recognized in either one. Wow, she looked at a bunch animals that can barely move! She might as well have written about mating habits at a retirement home. I used graduate level statistics and wrote a C++ program.

I am not cocky, I am confident, and when you tell me I am the best it is a compliment. -Styles P
 
Scott IrishI know (think) you're kidding eokpar, unless you're trying to make it to #3 on the soiled monkeys list.
Fuckit, might as well be #1 at something
Get busy living
 

okay sooo lets not turn this into a flame science contest... patrick would we be able to maybe aggregate it to a WSO thing and get her the cash as a wallstreetoasis scholarship or something?!

itd actually be kind of cool to get a small scholly fund going that would spurt out some cash even if its not tons to people overcoming adversity and becoming 'alpha' -- be they finance or not

YOU CAN PUT IT ON YOUR B SCHOOL RESUME IF YOU HELP OMG

 
Best Response

Someone mentioned that she is going to Brown. I hope that is not true. This chick should go to Stanford/MIT/Princeton.

And one very important point that everyone else seems to have forgotten is that even though she comes from poverty, I REALLY REALLY do hope she does not try to get an internship at Goldman. That would be such a loss for the United States, she should be curing cancer or something. Talented people like her should not be getting into finance. One of the criticisms of Wall St. that I agree with is that the pay differential are pulling the top talent of the country into finance, when they should have been doing something more productive for the society and country.

(A guy a few years ahead of me I knew in H.S. in my home country was an absolute Math and Science genius. He always said he wanted to work in NASA. He went to H/Y/P and majored in Physics and Math and now is working in GS AM. What a waste! He should have discovered a new planet or something and made our country proud)

Finance should be left to monkeys like us.

And yes, USA! USA! USA!

 
JamesHetfieldI REALLY REALLY do hope she does not try to get an internship at Goldman.
Dude, if she works there for a few years, then she can go do whatever the hell she wants and never worry about money again. If she wants to go study sea life and change the world afterwards, then she's not chained to whatever shitty gov't grant program or academic political bullshit that so many other intellectuals are. Ever consider she jumped on the marine biology bandwagon because it just happened to be the only thing around and was her ticket out?

Seriously, what kid wants to be studying boring shellfish?

Get busy living
 
UFOinsider
JamesHetfieldI REALLY REALLY do hope she does not try to get an internship at Goldman.
Dude, if she works there for a few years, then she can go do whatever the hell she wants and never worry about money again. If she wants to go study sea life and change the world afterwards, then she's not chained to whatever shitty gov't grant program or academic political bullshit that so many other intellectuals are. Ever consider she jumped on the marine biology bandwagon because it just happened to be the only thing around and was her ticket out?

Seriously, what kid wants to be studying boring shellfish?

I have to disagree with you there. What I am worried about the is the financial industry taking up all the top class scientific talent away from "productive" pursuits. The top engineering talent from MIT should be helping the USAF build our 6th generation fighter, not trying to figure out when the EUR will trade 1:1 with the USD.

And there is one thing that make me say all this: CHINA.

 

I thought the IVYs waived app fees for kinds with financial needs. We should send someone out there to talk with her parents see how much they make. That may sound cheap or something however most of the IVYs give out free tuition to kids whos parents make below X number of dollars. I would prefer the scholarship money to go to a kid who needs it to afford school. Also we should write a clause in there that they can't go into finance lol.

On a different note, allow for anonymous donations. Some people would be more likely to donate that way.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 

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I want a lady on the street, but a freak in the bed, Go Bucks!!
 

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"Sincerity is an overrated virtue" - Milton Friedman
 

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I want a lady on the street, but a freak in the bed, Go Bucks!!

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